Discussing Natto: An Acquired Taste
March 7, 2025
Episode Notes
Hey, good morning there.
Good morning, Les. How you doing?
I'm doing great. How about yourself?
I am doing just fine. Hey, uh, got a question for you about natto.
Okay, tell me what is it? Shoot.
Do you like natto?
Yeah, actually I do like natto. I like it quite a bit. And my wife told me that if I eat natto, I'll get more calcium, which I really need because I can't drink milk.
Right. Right. Right. Right. We had that discussion before, didn't we? Um
I think so.
When you when you first tried natto, what did you think of it?
I didn't want to touch it. It looked disgusting.
Yeah. Yeah. I used to I used to leave the room when somebody was eating it because I couldn't stand the smell or or looking at it.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think my um my supervisor had me over for dinner one night and I was drinking a beer and after a few drinks of beer, I thought, "Well, what the hell? I'll try it. I'll be open-spirited and try it." And it was cool.
Yeah. Yeah. It was uh the first time I tried it, I didn't like it. And of course, it's an acquired taste.
Um Oh, yeah. For sure, it's an acquired taste. Um anything that has a strong smell has to be an acquired taste cuz the smell of always turns you off the first few times.
Um,
fair enough.
Okay.
But the the first time I had it, I didn't like it. Then the second time I had it, I had um uh what flavor? Like a shiso umeiso type or something which is very fruity and sour and lovely.
Yes. Yes.
And so I thought that's that's good. Then the third time I had it, I had a more I don't know regular flavor and I was like I don't know about That then I had the the umeiso the the plum and and pilia leaf. Ume shiso sounds much better though, doesn't it? Ume shiso. Plum plum and pilia leaf.
I heard it was beef steak.
Yeah. Uh yeah, I believe the plant is called beef steak. Beef steak. Beef steak plant. And the leaf is called perillia.
Okay. Okay.
Anyway, uh it's one of those like like like uh cilantro, coriander type of things.
There's different.
Yeah. But I had the this the umei uh probably the next 10 or 15 times I ate it and I thought it was great and it grew on me every time. And then I started trying other flavors and and now I like all of them.
Yeah. I I I don't like natto without karashi. H Yeah.
Yeah. Karashi, spicy Japanese mustard.
Spicy Japanese mustard is great.
I feel like a AI dictionary. Um, I had a co-orker years and years ago who every day he ate the same thing for lunch. Okay. He he kept a bottle of ponzoo in the fridge at work. Okay.
And at the beginning of the week, he brought in uh a threeack of tofu and a three-pack of natto.
Right. Right.
And and then the middle of the week, he brought another set in. So every day he ate uh one pack of natto and one pack of tofu with ponzu.
Wow. Yes.
And that's it. And he said that was a hundred yen for three days lunch. And
did he get enough calories? I mean, of course, I'm sure he had a big breakfast before work and a big dinner after work, but at work, just a light I mean, a pack of tofu and a pack of natto is nothing healthier than that.
It's pretty healthy. You're right. I'm just I I'd fall over in the middle of the afternoon if that's all I ate.
And I think he also did it because he loved the reaction from all the new teachers who would be shocked like, "What's he eating?"
Yes. Yes.
But he enjoyed He happily sit there, tofu, natto, have a cup of tea, back to work.
Wow. Wow.
Yeah, I love it. And now I'm having it every day for breakfast.
Excellent. Yeah. Yeah. Very good.
The other thing, if you want
calcium is the the small dry fish.
Yeah. I I asked my wife. You see, those kind of disgust me, and I'm worried that I might not like the flavor.
Yeah. I haven't got strong enough to eat those fish yet.
No, no, no. You get get a bag of them. They come in different flavors. They mix with different spices and sesame seeds and things. They're great.
Fishy?
Not too fishy. Sprinkle them on your rice. It's excellent.
Next time I come up and visit you, I'd like you to show me in the supermarket. Then I'll give it a try.
I'll buy you a whole bag.
I feel like I need a guide on this one. Yeah,
next next time.
Okay,
for sure.
I gotta get here. Um, I want you to take care and don't work too hard over the weekend.
I will not work too hard. I promise. You too. See you later.
Okay. Bye. Bye.
Bye.
Yeah. Good. That I don't know how many. I think that was about a little under five minutes.
Did you press stop?
I thought I did. I don't have the red button up there anymore.
I don't think you did.
It's got 99% up there.
Yeah, it said that from the beginning. It's been calculating that whole time. Come on, press the stop button.
There is no stop button. I pressed it.
Dear God, man, you look good with your glasses off.
Good morning, Les. How you doing?
I'm doing great. How about yourself?
I am doing just fine. Hey, uh, got a question for you about natto.
Okay, tell me what is it? Shoot.
Do you like natto?
Yeah, actually I do like natto. I like it quite a bit. And my wife told me that if I eat natto, I'll get more calcium, which I really need because I can't drink milk.
Right. Right. Right. Right. We had that discussion before, didn't we? Um
I think so.
When you when you first tried natto, what did you think of it?
I didn't want to touch it. It looked disgusting.
Yeah. Yeah. I used to I used to leave the room when somebody was eating it because I couldn't stand the smell or or looking at it.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think my um my supervisor had me over for dinner one night and I was drinking a beer and after a few drinks of beer, I thought, "Well, what the hell? I'll try it. I'll be open-spirited and try it." And it was cool.
Yeah. Yeah. It was uh the first time I tried it, I didn't like it. And of course, it's an acquired taste.
Um Oh, yeah. For sure, it's an acquired taste. Um anything that has a strong smell has to be an acquired taste cuz the smell of always turns you off the first few times.
Um,
fair enough.
Okay.
But the the first time I had it, I didn't like it. Then the second time I had it, I had um uh what flavor? Like a shiso umeiso type or something which is very fruity and sour and lovely.
Yes. Yes.
And so I thought that's that's good. Then the third time I had it, I had a more I don't know regular flavor and I was like I don't know about That then I had the the umeiso the the plum and and pilia leaf. Ume shiso sounds much better though, doesn't it? Ume shiso. Plum plum and pilia leaf.
I heard it was beef steak.
Yeah. Uh yeah, I believe the plant is called beef steak. Beef steak. Beef steak plant. And the leaf is called perillia.
Okay. Okay.
Anyway, uh it's one of those like like like uh cilantro, coriander type of things.
There's different.
Yeah. But I had the this the umei uh probably the next 10 or 15 times I ate it and I thought it was great and it grew on me every time. And then I started trying other flavors and and now I like all of them.
Yeah. I I I don't like natto without karashi. H Yeah.
Yeah. Karashi, spicy Japanese mustard.
Spicy Japanese mustard is great.
I feel like a AI dictionary. Um, I had a co-orker years and years ago who every day he ate the same thing for lunch. Okay. He he kept a bottle of ponzoo in the fridge at work. Okay.
And at the beginning of the week, he brought in uh a threeack of tofu and a three-pack of natto.
Right. Right.
And and then the middle of the week, he brought another set in. So every day he ate uh one pack of natto and one pack of tofu with ponzu.
Wow. Yes.
And that's it. And he said that was a hundred yen for three days lunch. And
did he get enough calories? I mean, of course, I'm sure he had a big breakfast before work and a big dinner after work, but at work, just a light I mean, a pack of tofu and a pack of natto is nothing healthier than that.
It's pretty healthy. You're right. I'm just I I'd fall over in the middle of the afternoon if that's all I ate.
And I think he also did it because he loved the reaction from all the new teachers who would be shocked like, "What's he eating?"
Yes. Yes.
But he enjoyed He happily sit there, tofu, natto, have a cup of tea, back to work.
Wow. Wow.
Yeah, I love it. And now I'm having it every day for breakfast.
Excellent. Yeah. Yeah. Very good.
The other thing, if you want
calcium is the the small dry fish.
Yeah. I I asked my wife. You see, those kind of disgust me, and I'm worried that I might not like the flavor.
Yeah. I haven't got strong enough to eat those fish yet.
No, no, no. You get get a bag of them. They come in different flavors. They mix with different spices and sesame seeds and things. They're great.
Fishy?
Not too fishy. Sprinkle them on your rice. It's excellent.
Next time I come up and visit you, I'd like you to show me in the supermarket. Then I'll give it a try.
I'll buy you a whole bag.
I feel like I need a guide on this one. Yeah,
next next time.
Okay,
for sure.
I gotta get here. Um, I want you to take care and don't work too hard over the weekend.
I will not work too hard. I promise. You too. See you later.
Okay. Bye. Bye.
Bye.
Yeah. Good. That I don't know how many. I think that was about a little under five minutes.
Did you press stop?
I thought I did. I don't have the red button up there anymore.
I don't think you did.
It's got 99% up there.
Yeah, it said that from the beginning. It's been calculating that whole time. Come on, press the stop button.
There is no stop button. I pressed it.
Dear God, man, you look good with your glasses off.